


Safe Embrace

by panchostokes (badwolfrun)



Series: Nick/Greg Ficlets [50]
Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Angst, Episode: s07e04 Fannysmackin', Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, flangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21908866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolfrun/pseuds/panchostokes
Summary: Greg has a nightmare, Nick finds him on the floor next to the bed.
Relationships: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Series: Nick/Greg Ficlets [50]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1257824
Comments: 8
Kudos: 47





	Safe Embrace

**Author's Note:**

> anon on tumblr: Do you think Greg has a nightmare about getting beat up by masked figures and recoils from the bed (in Nick’s arms) to the floor? Nick wakes up, startled, and like sees his love in fetal position on the floor?
> 
> consider this a “Hand to Hold” sequel, lol came full circle writing a nightmare comfort fic at the start and end of the year!

It was his one of his first nights home from the hospital, Nick insisted that Greg stay at his house for a while. Greg, of course, insisted back that he didn’t want to impose, and truthfully, though he would never admit it to Nick, wanted to be alone, after being suffocated by visitors in the hospital. 

Then again, he should have known that Nick, of all people, would know _exactly_ how he was feeling. 

Which is perhaps why he begrudgingly agreed to spend a few nights at his boyfriend’s place, doted on in a way that made him feel like he was being treated like some sort of king. 

Nick somehow seemed to know what he needed even more than Greg knew, himself. Whether it was something as small as a pair of sweatpants and a Texas A&M shirt that somehow made him feel warmer than the plush blanket Nick threw at him when he walked in the door, or a grander gesture, such as a tight embrace on a soft bed that made Greg feel like he was at home, away from his actual home. 

It wasn’t his first time being spooned by Nick Stokes in his bed, but it was the first time he had awaken during the night to find that Nick had turned away, retreated to his side of the bed, a separation he knew happened usually when Nick became restless in his fight for sleep–-he could still feel Nick’s skin touching his back, but felt the impression of his spine bumping against his own versus the normal sensation of Nick’s nipples bumping against the moles on his back. 

His eyes were still closed, a grin teased the corners of his lips as he rolled onto his side, felt for Nick’s shoulders–he started to pull Nick towards him, moved his legs to wrap on top of Nick’s body, when suddenly, the width of Nick’s shoulders shrank in his grip, what was once firm became flaccid, but his fingers tightened–-he heard a groan, not his own. A low rumble, a hum, almost shook in his ears as something pulled his own shoulders, took him out of the bed.

No, not out of bed.

Out of a car, his fingers gripped around the steering wheel tighter, but it was no use, he was pried away–-

Through a window–-he could feel something sharp, jagged slice his back–-

He fell the ground, where his body was assaulted with swooping punts to every inch of his body–-

He felt his face cave in, then swell, he had to breathe through the narrow gap between his clenched teeth–-

_“Greg?”_

Nobody home, though he opened his eyes and saw that he was at the feet of a circle of giants, shrouded in dark clothing, eyes glowing–pig snouts snorting with laughter as they continued to play a twisted game of “footsie” with his body.

“Greg!” 

He curled his body, hoping that he could at least protect himself, but he felt his body rocking back and forth, whimpers and pleas for it all to end lodged somewhere in his throbbing throat.

“Greg, wake up!” 

He felt a hand touch his shoulder, he jerked it away before he felt a slew of fingers poking and prodding him like some sort of injured insect on the ground.

He could almost hear Grissom’s voice identifying by genus, family, species…

“Hey, Greg! _Greg!”_ the voice nearly _screamed_ in his ears as he opened his eyes, and to his surprise, the giant pigs were gone, Grissom was not in fact, standing over him with a magnifying glass, just Nick Stokes, reaching a hand out to him from atop the bed from which he fell, their blanket tangled in the ball that was Greg Sanders. 

“It’s okay, you’re awake, you’re in my bedroom, you’re _safe,”_ Nick explained as he crawled down from the bed, landing on the floor next to Greg. 

Greg was hesitant, as Nick tried to unfurl his body, he clutched his shaking fists tighter around the blanket as Nick’s light touches managed to disturb both old scars and new–he didn’t have the heart to tell him how sensitive his skin was, but somehow, again, Nick seemed to pick up on cues Greg wasn’t even aware of himself.

Nick sighed through his nose, but kept his lips closed, gave Greg a nod as he laid back against the bed. 

“Looks like your back got bumped against the nightstand. Damn thing. Don’t worry, I-I’ll move tha’ away from the bed,” he stammered through a thick accent. Greg’s heart pinged, he was upset, though he just as easily felt a surge of annoyance, because what was _Nick_ so upset about?

“Not…your fault…” Greg mumbled irritably as he wiped his nose. 

“Not your’s, either,” Nick reaffirmed in a soft voice. He waved a hand towards Greg, then kept it steady, in the air, an offering of peace, to which Greg tentatively took through his sniffles.

“Don’t think I gotta tell you what a night terror feels like, huh?” Greg tried to joke as Nick pulled him into his chest, cradled the Greg-ball in his lap.

“No, you don’t. ‘S why I wanted you here, with me, cause…I know…how i-it feels, you know?”

“I know.”

“You helped me…more than you’ll ever know,” Nick whispered to him in a shuddered breath as he stroked the hair atop Greg’s head. “I wanna do the same for you.” 

Greg felt the bruises on his face squeeze as his lips pursed together in attempt to steady his wobbling chin. 

“I don’t deserve you,” he hiccuped, burying his face onto Nick’s chest. 

“Yes, you do, G. You deserve the heaven an’ earth and the stars twinkling in the sky above us.”

“Everything except what happened to you, of course,” Nick quickly added, sensing that Greg’s shaking body was beginning to think he did, in fact, deserve _everything,_ which encompassed everything that had happened to him. “That…that was something _no man_ should go through.”

Greg further crumbled as he felt another sensation on top of his head, a soft kiss, planted in the sweaty mess of matted hair. A sign of the unconditional love that Nick still seemed to bestow upon him, even at his weakest moment.

“I l-love you, Nick.”

“I love you, too, Greg.” 


End file.
